Influence of metal choice on (010) β-Ga_2O_3 Schottky diode properties

摘要

A systematic study of Schottky barriers fabricated on (010) β-Ga_2_O_ substrates is reported. Schottky barrier heights (SBHs) and current transport modes were analyzed using a combination of current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V) and internal photoemission (IPE) measurements for Pd, Ni, Pt and Au Schottky diodes. Diodes fabricated for each metal choice displayed nearly ideal I-V characteristics with room temperature ideality factors ranging from 1.03 to 1.09, reverse leakage currents below detection limits and thermionic emission as the dominant current transport mode for Ni, Pt and Pd. The SBH values varied depending on the metal choice, ranging from 1.27 V for Pd and 1.54 V for Ni to 1.58 V for Pt and 1.71 V for Au, as determined using IPE measurements. Close agreement was observed between these IPE-determined SBH values and the barrier height values from I-V and C-V measurements for the Ni, Pd and Pt Schottky barriers. In contrast, for Au, a lack of general agreement was seen between the SBH measurement methods, the trends of which appear to be consistent with the presence of an inhomogeneous barrier that implies a more complex interface for the Au Schottky barrier. The dependence of the SBH on metal work function suggests that metal-(010) β-Ga_2O_3 interfaces are not fully pinned, and this assertion was supported by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy measurements made on this sample set.